Video Game Addiction

[Dust and Ashes]

Psst! Total noob for sure! If he didn't die, I was going to kill him, being the gaming god that I am!

Proverbs 16:18, 29:23, etc, etc.

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

If I personally knew someone who was addicted to video games and was in a position to help them, I would certainly do so. But please don't imply that those of us who may not have the same calling as you or may not be properly "equipped" for such action don't care. I know you have met with a lot of apathy and veiled (or not so veiled) ridicule because of your passion for this issue. That very denial/enabling does more to demonstrate the reality of the problem than any amount of statistics or arguing.

I understand the issue because I was addicted to Everquest (and gaming in general) for 2 years and saw the strain it put on my marriage. As I strive to conform to the image of Christ, my interest in gaming has dropped dramatically and I have literally quit buying games because I just don't play them. I do understand but I don't know anyone who has this problem and it is not my calling to search them out. I am working with a small group of dedicated people on building a mission church in our town right now so between that and my job, I'm staying busy and don't have time or resources to start a "Video game addiction" ministry.

Please forgive me if this comes across as uncharitible. I admire what you are doing and I wish you the best but there are people in my town who are starving for truth and I'm trying to help build a place for them to be fed. I'll start doing something for the video game addicts here after we get the Church established and growing.

Well said, and thank you. I appreciate your reasoned and mature response.

 

[FamilyFriendlyGaming]

Proverbs 16:18, 29:23, etc, etc.

Amen.
I would like to add:
2 Corinthians 11:30

If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. 2 Corinthians 12:5


I will boast about a man like that, but I will not boast about myself, except about my weaknesses. 2 Corinthians 12:9

But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

 

[SUNSTONE]

OH YEAH!

Gen 65:3 and Mat 2 million: verse 500!
Two can play that game!

 

[MauiMamma]

OH YEAH!

Gen 65:3 and Mat 2 million: verse 500!
Two can play that game!

I am furious at this cavalier attitude! This is a similar attitude that my husband has.

He is a gaming addict. He is a 35 year old man that makes gaming a priority in almost every way in his life. He regularly plays 2 hrs a day and if left to his own devices, he will easily play for 6+ hours. He does not think he has a problem. He see's as his relaxation time with friends and a hobby. We have a 1 1/2 year old child that he neglects. He neglects our marriage and his responsiblities as husband and father. It's horrifying and tragic and heart breaking and it is going to be the cause of our divorce. He will loose custody of his son as well.

It's nauseating that you are so flip about an issue that is as very serious matter to some.

 

[Dust and Ashes]

forgivensinner001 watches in horror as the undead thread pushes its shrivelled, desicated hand up through the soil and begins to pull itself up out of the ground. A raspy hiss escapes its leathery lips then it stops as it sees him.

"Brainssssss...." it hisses.



*runs away screaming*

 

[CyberPaladin]

Undead thread run run for your lives!!!

 

[Breetai]

In the movie "Shaolin Soccor"...

It should be called, as it is in most countries, "Kung-fu Football."

 

[Steezie]

I am furious at this cavalier attitude! This is a similar attitude that my husband has.

He is a gaming addict. He is a 35 year old man that makes gaming a priority in almost every way in his life. He regularly plays 2 hrs a day and if left to his own devices, he will easily play for 6+ hours. He does not think he has a problem. He see's as his relaxation time with friends and a hobby. We have a 1 1/2 year old child that he neglects. He neglects our marriage and his responsiblities as husband and father. It's horrifying and tragic and heart breaking and it is going to be the cause of our divorce. He will loose custody of his son as well.

It's nauseating that you are so flip about an issue that is as very serious matter to some.

Your husband is looking for something to escape with. Videogames are not the cause. If there were no videogames I guarantee you he'd be reading or watching movies as many hours a day as he plays games.

How does he neglect your son? How does he neglect you? Simply because someone wishes to spend time appart from thier spouse is not tantamount to neglect. I love my fiancee very much, but I am a gamer and I play games. She doesnt always like the games so she reads her books. We both have activites that we enjoy separately yet we both make time for our relationship.

It IS possible to game for 6+ hours a day and still have an active and healthy social life. I am a prime example

On a side note I remember getting in trouble in this thread while it was still active

 

[AWorkInProgress]

What can we do to help those who are addicted to video games?

I feel so bad for those who enslaved to the industry and can not break free. Any ideas how we can help those hopelessly enslaved to video games?

Sorry I am late to this dicussion.

My third addiction was MMORPGs. My life was lived ingame and work I spent too much time between forums and deciding million different ways to modify my toon.

I craved it so much that as soon I got home my PC was on and even if there was nothing to do I blow time at the auction house.

I knew I was wasting my life away. I got depressed because most my friends in college or in their trade but I stuck with poor job. My mom told me over and over again to share her wisdom but went in one ear and out the other. I wanted to read the bible but never break away from my PC.

After my relationship crashed, I decided to put god first. Cut my account to WoW and cut my internet all together. Tried to give my PC away but no one really wanted(thought that was odd). Became a seeker of Jesus after and read the bible 80% thru.

I found god and he helped me over come one sin after another. My addiction came from my sheer loneliness, selfishness, and lack of understanding how to find joy in work.

My old guild mate is right, it's no different than other addictions. It's all about priorities, if easiness and selfishness are main definer of one's priorities then they get addicted to about anything they find fun and easy. God comes first, my family second, my work comes third, fun is now pushed to like 6-7th place. I donate my time to the church and my folks to learn to find satifaction in work.

Oh one other thing that helped overcome it, is to not drown in thought about what I wanted and thought I was entitled to. It caused discontentment and made wanting to play games more desired. I focus on reality and problems that I should be working on.

Turning my internet back on this week and turn on my old account. Test to see how much I learned in the last 2 and half months. Putting money asside for other hobbies I want to build in summer.

 

[Steezie]

Then can someone please explain why I play games usually for several hours (4 is usually normal) a day and yet I have an active and healthy social life?

 

[Dust and Ashes]

Maybe because you aren't predisposed to addiction?

 

[Steezie]

Maybe because you aren't predisposed to addiction?

So then its not the games that cause the addiction, its the predisposition TO addiction?

 

[Dust and Ashes]

So then its not the games that cause the addiction, its the predisposition TO addiction?

I think it's a little the games' "fault" and a lot the individuals' predisposition to addiction. I mean someone predisposed to addiction isn't likely to take up finger smashing with a hammer because it's just not the kind of thing one becomes addicted to. MMORPGs are designed to keep you coming back so that clicks with an addictive personality.

 

[Steezie]

I think it's a little the games' "fault" and a lot the individuals' predisposition to addiction.

So then the focus should be on keeping people with these "addictive personalities" away from games rather than just getting rid of the games

MMORPGs are designed to keep you coming back so that clicks with an addictive personality.

How are they designed to keep you comming back? How are they any different from any other games?

 

[Dannager]

So then the focus should be on keeping people with these "addictive personalities" away from games rather than just getting rid of the games

This is sort of half-correct. The real focus should be on working with people who are prone to addiction to help them identify when they are in danger of becoming addicted to something and assist them in learning how to moderate their own behavior. Avoiding the problem is more of a band-aid than a real solution. Confronting it and learning how to adjust your life to be more manageable is the real trick.

How are they designed to keep you comming back? How are they any different from any other games?

They encourage continued participation over many months. Whereas a quick game (Counter-Strike, for example) allows you to get in, play for a short period of time, and get out, MMOs treat your playtime as an extended experience. Your character is persistent, and your time in the game translates directly into a sense of progress. Furthermore, the social nature of the game sometimes demands extended periods of play (in WoW's case, end-game raids can take the better part of the afternoon or evening, and are usually scheduled for a couple times each week).

 

[AWorkInProgress]

Then can someone please explain why I play games usually for several hours (4 is usually normal) a day and yet I have an active and healthy social life?

I explained that, your priorities are healthy. Others who are addicted, have their priorities backwards and need to get them put back into proper order.

Some of my old guildmates, put the game before their own children or spouses. Even lady players.

 

[HeSaveDave]

Pray.

 

[Steezie]

This is sort of half-correct. The real focus should be on working with people who are prone to addiction to help them identify when they are in danger of becoming addicted to something and assist them in learning how to moderate their own behavior. Avoiding the problem is more of a band-aid than a real solution. Confronting it and learning how to adjust your life to be more manageable is the real trick.

How do we identify those prone to addiction before they get addicted?

They encourage continued participation over many months. Whereas a quick game (Counter-Strike, for example) allows you to get in, play for a short period of time, and get out, MMOs treat your playtime as an extended experience. Your character is persistent, and your time in the game translates directly into a sense of progress. Furthermore, the social nature of the game sometimes demands extended periods of play (in WoW's case, end-game raids can take the better part of the afternoon or evening, and are usually scheduled for a couple times each week).

Many games have great replay value and can be played indefinately. All games reward players with more content if they invest time in the game.

I explained that, your priorities are healthy. Others who are addicted, have their priorities backwards and need to get them put back into proper order.

So then it would seem that problems arise when un-healthy behavior is engaged in by the person with regards to thier own life choices, not behavior caused by the game.

I'd also like to know why games are any different than movies or books.

 

[Dust and Ashes]

Many games have great replay value and can be played indefinately. All games reward players with more content if they invest time in the game.

True but nowhere near the level of MMORPGs.

I'd also like to know why games are any different than movies or books.

Games are much more interactive than movies or books. Generally speaking.